Why Building Bond Inspections and Regular Follow-Up Inspections are Important?

It is essential to regularly inspect all high-rise and multi-story buildings in the car parks and pool areas. It’s not merely the house’s aesthetics, but building bond inspections and regular follow-up inspections corroborate with confidence that the structural integrity of the building is maintained. 

Property owners benefit in myriad ways when they hire professionals to undertake regular building inspections on their buildings. Inspections are warranted at least once a year to ensure no concealed issues.

Our recent article on the Miami apartment building collapse endorses the fact that you need to ensure that regular building inspections are conducted. Early detection of potentially structural severe concerns facilitates preventative measures to be put in place.

Causes of Structural Defects

Concrete Cancer

Concrete cancer was attributed to this structural disaster, supported by the evidence that when the steel expands, it damages and breaks apart the concrete. An acceleration of metal exposure to the elements weakens the entire structure making it vulnerable to collapse. 

The proximity of the building to the ocean allows chlorides from saltwater to seep into the concrete, even after it is built, and eventually corrode the steel.

Pool Leak

Additionally, having a pool leak will accelerate the structural damage as when water escapes the pool system, it may start to accumulate into the undesired areas. When allowed to escape the pool, chlorinated water will begin to damage the metal components within the pool structure, such as galvanised steel walls of vinyl liner pools and rebar embedded within the shell of concrete pools. 

This has been witnessed with the apartment in Miami, where the waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, thereby preventing water from draining off. Thus, the failed waterproofing was responsible for causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab. 

Failure to replace the waterproofing shortly will cause the extent of concrete deterioration to expand exponentially. A recent study has uncovered abundant cracking and spalling of concrete columns, beams, and walls in the parking garage. The study also mentioned that previous attempts by many of the buildings to fix the columns and other damage with epoxy were marred by poor workmanship and were unsuccessful.

In addition to possible problems under the pool, several areas above the entrance drive showing signs of deterioration were worrisome. They should have been repaired immediately as access issues thwarted a closer inspection.

How Can Effective Building & Consultancy Help You with Building Bond Inspections?

We at Effective Building & Consultancy come from a background in construction, so we understand exactly what to look out for, identify the potential cause of any underlying issues or problems, and analyse the expense of work and money likely to be involved in fixing them. We give each inspection our full attention and best efforts because we genuinely care and value our customers. 

Call us today on (02) 9613 3353 or click the link here to book an inspection with us!

For more information about our building inspection services, visit our Help Centre.